News Release

Local angles: Chapel Hill, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro and
Rutherfordton, N.C.; Brentwood, Tenn.; and Diego Martin, Trinidad.

UNC’s Bryan Fellows begin summer service projects in North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL -- Five University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students will complete diverse service projects throughout North Carolina this summer as recent recipients of the Carolina Center for Public Service’s Robert E. Bryan Fellowships.

Named in honor of alumnus Robert E. Bryan, of Newton Grove, the fellowships are given each summer to students to support public service projects addressing identifiable needs in the state. Fellows plan and implement the projects in conjunction with a community partner and a UNC faculty mentor.

The program’s goal is to unite university and community efforts in addressing pressing issues within N.C. communities, said Amy Gorely, the center’s associate director.

"The Robert E. Bryan Fellowship Program is an excellent example of how students work together with faculty and community members to help North Carolina and its citizens," she said.

The five 2004 fellows each receive up to $3,000 to fund their own projects.

• Stacey Isaac, a graduate student in the School of Government, from Diego Martin, Trinidad, is organizing and teaching "English as a Second Language" weekend classes to Hispanics in Durham. Isaac also hopes to explore a partnership in which UNC students will be recruited to teach future classes. Her faculty mentor is Margaret Henderson of the School of Government’s Master of Public Administration Program, and her community partners are El Centro Hispano and Durham Mennonite Church.
• Kristopher Jordan, a sophomore in Kenan-Flagler Business School, from Rutherfordton, is designing a Web site, NCKidScience.com, and an online interactive children’s learning game for elementary school teachers seeking classroom material. Jordan wants to help teachers integrate science learning into their daily schedules in preparation for the science end-of-grade test. His faculty mentor is Dr. Gary Bishop of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of computer science, and his community partner is KidSenses Children’s Interactive Museum.
• Jin Yi Kwon, a graduate student in the School of Dentistry, from Chapel Hill, is working on a project providing oral health care to residents of the Beverly Healthcare-Starmount nursing home in Greensboro. Kwon wants to educate the facility’s caregivers on oral health issues and provide a new priority list for the resident dentist. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Eugene Sandler of the School of Dentistry’s department of dental ecology, and her community partner is Dr. James Newman.
• Mark Sanders, a graduate student in the School of Education, from Fayetteville, is creating a series of science education classes at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for the local Spanish-speaking community. In addition, Sanders will translate the astronomy exhibits in the Morehead Center. His faculty mentor is Dr. Nancy Grace Aaron of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of romance languages and literatures, and his community partner is the Morehead Center.
• Jennifer Sussman, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, from Brentwood, Tenn., is conducting a resource and needs assessment in collaboration with members of the Hurdle Mills community. Sussman will facilitate a community process to prioritize the issues and develop a plan to address those needs. Her faculty mentor is James Emery of the School of Public Health’s department of health behavior and health education, and her community partner is the Lattisville Grove Missionary Church of Hurdle Mills.

For more information, click on http://www.unc.edu/cps or contact Dr. Lynn Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service, at (919) 843-7568.

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Note: To arrange interviews with Bryan Fellowship recipients, contact Blanchard at (919) 843-7568 or blanchard@unc.edu.

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu